Information Systems Co-ordinator/Webmaster

Introduction
This is one of those posts that exists in any department in all
types of authority, but most often is found in the corporate office
of the chief executive. Information technology serves all employees
and the organisation as a whole. Co-ordinators, who also may
be called 'officers' or 'webmasters', have a supervisory role in
information technology work.

Most councils have their own web pages to keep the public
informed of the services they provide in order that the 'best
value' principles of efficiency, effectiveness and economy are
maintained. Also, it is now a government mandate that all council
services should be electronically available. If you want to find
out what benefits you're entitled to, you can go into a booth and
key into the information you need. Equally important is the
internal communications system, the intranet, for which the
co-ordinator is also responsible. This is part of the overall
structure - of design and implementation - of information
technology systems.

Work Environment
Most of the time is spent sitting in front of a computer screen.
But there is also some local travel to meetings at other council
sites to discuss new ideas and existing projects. Information
Systems Co-ordinators / Officers also attend national
meetings. They normally work between 37-40 hours per week,
which occasionally involves anti-social shifts in order to meet
deadlines. There may be opportunities to work flexi-time.

Daily Activities
Most of the officers' time is spent developing web pages. This
entails meetings with 'clients' (a member of the editorial team or
officer from another department) to debate new ideas about how web
pages might look and where they should be located on the council's
site. This will involve talking to web and IT technicians and IS
assistants about:

what is technically possible;

what design will be most effective and how it will work;

whether to use video and aural clips;

how it fits with the rest of the website and links to
others.

The Systems Officers leads a team dealing with webmaster
enquiries, updating web pages and liaising with other local
organisations and the general public who are affected by how
council websites look and work: benefits agencies, citizens advice
bureaux and so on. There is a special responsibility for
maintaining the authority's corporate websites and the intranet,
too. Officers report to the relevant line managers and get feedback
about how the systems are working for them, as well as give advice
on what can and cannot be done on a web page. This will entail
meeting deadlines set by others. As team leader, the information
systems co-ordinator/officer manages a variety of projects that
might include:

multi-media kiosks;

digital television websites;

online planning applications.

Skills & Interests
As the world of information technology is always changing you need
to be able to adapt to change while remaining customer focused and
be able to pick up new skills quickly. You must also have:

good communication skills to help clients understand technical
detail;

a head for figures;

the ability to get on with people from different backgrounds
and of different status;

project management skills;

a good grasp of detail;

a liking for problem solving;

some creative ability;

managerial skills;

the ability to work on your own and lead a team to meet
deadlines.

Entry Requirements
Relevant experience may be considered more important than academic
qualifications though you would be expected to have a minimum of
four GCSEs/S grades at C/3 including maths and English.
Computer studies and design qualifications are important, so a
background in either IT or design is essential. Previous
management experience - of an internet or intranet site for example
- or work as a communications officer can be very helpful.
Though many entrants at this level have a degree or HND, through on
the job training you can make progress from being a trainee.

Apprenticeships may be available. A new entrant with
appropriate training could expect a salary in excess of £20K,
depending on the geographical area - London and the South-East
being significantly higher than the rest of the country.

Future Prospects & Opportunities
This is a growth area with clear promotion prospects and
competition is strong. Any next careers steps would involve more
managerial and team leading responsibilities in this and other
areas of IT work, such as systems analysis.